The performance of semiconductor devices typically deteriorate with time. In particular, D. L. Staebler et al. in Applied Physics Letters vol. 31, No. 4, p. 292 (August 1977), disclosed that reversible changes in the photoconductivity and efficiency of an amorphous silicon solar cell occur upon exposure to light. The degradation in photoconductivity in a solar cell produced by glow discharge in a silane gas, now known as the Staebler-Wronski effect, was found to be dependent upon both the incident light intensity and the cell operating temperature. This photoconductivity degradation was reversible by heating the cell to its annealing temperature and then cooling the cell to room temperature in the dark. It has been suggested that light induced changes in the structure may act as traps or recombination centers for photogenerated charge carriers. As these traps or recombination centers degrade the efficiency of the solar cell, it would be desirable to have a semiconductor device and method for compensating such operationally-induced defects.